The potential cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A. Mey. chloroform fraction on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells

Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A. Mey. is a herbal plant distributed in variable regions around the globe.Emerging research showed that P. undulata extracts exhibit different biological activities including antitumor properties.However, the anticancer properties of P. undulata against different cancer cells remain uncertain.Herein, the antiproliferative effect of P. undulata extracts were explored against the adenocarcinoma lung cancer cells A549.The antiproliferative effect of P. undulata extracts were tested by MTT while DAPI staining and FACS were used to qualitatively and quantitatively determine the apoptosis initiation in treated cells.Further, apoptosis-related markers were estimated by RT-PCR and western blot analysis.GC-MS was utilised to determine the chemical components present in a promising fraction.The MTT viability assay revealed that the P. undulata chloroform fraction (PUCF) diminished the A549 cells' growth.DAPI staining, along with FACS analysis revealed the presence of apoptotic cells in PUCF-treated samples.Moreover, the PUCF apoptotic effects were validated by upregulation of Bax and caspase-3, alongside a decrement in the levels of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.Additionally, GC-MS analysis identified palmitic acid (13.29%), parthenolide (6.35%), cedran-diol, 8S,13-(6.22%)and triacontane (5.07%) as major constituents.Taken together, P. undulata showed a promising anticancer effect affirming further exploration for its efficacy in lung carcinoma treatment.